Sunday, January 03, 2021
Misfortune in Norway
More fatalities recovered after landslide
Shortly before the turn of the year, the earth masses in the south of Norway slide and tear several houses down. Four fatalities have now been recovered. However, the rescue workers have not given up hope of meeting survivors.
Three days after a landslide in southern Norway, four fatalities have now been rescued. The police said three bodies were discovered on Saturday. The search for six missing persons continues.
The accident occurred early Wednesday morning in Ask northeast of Oslo. On Friday, the emergency services discovered the body of a 31-year-old man. The police initially gave no information about the identity of the other victims.
Norwegian and Swedish emergency services flown in for reinforcement continued to search for six missing persons on Saturday with the help of sniffer dogs, helicopters and drones. “We still have hope of finding survivors,” said operations manager Roy Alkvist. The Norwegian royal family announced that King Harald V, his wife Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon will travel to Ask in the morning.
A whole hill sank in the landslide in Gjerdrum municipality, around ten houses and 31 apartments slipped. Some houses were moved 400 meters. The competent authority stated that an area totaling around 280,000 square meters had slipped. Ten people were injured, one of them seriously. About a thousand residents were brought to safety.
Norway was hit by a similar landslide in the summer. At that time, the exit near Alta in the far north of the country pulled several houses and huts into the sea. People were not injured. As it was then, it is now expected that the nature of the ground has something to do with the landslide. The exact reason for the departure of Ask is so far unclear.